r/CarsAustralia

I had a bit of a weird experience at a petrol station today and wanted to ask what you all think.

I filled my car like normal. The bowser started at zero, as normal, and when I finished it showed about $160 and off I then went inside to pay.

At the counter, the staff member asked me if I had filled up twice as there was also another amount of about $90 in addition to the $160, so the total owing was about $250. I explained that I had only filled up once, and that the bowser outside clearly showed the single transaction I had just made for about $160.

She said she needed to call her offsite manager to check CCTV. I was just standing there saying I didn’t understand and was confused but the staff member made me stand aside like I was in the wrong and holding up the line.

I stood there like a stunned mullet getting funny looks from other customers, and to make things worse she didn’t contact the manager. She just kept serving other customers… It was like a never ending line and after a few minutes I had to point out that I am a mum and have my kids in the car and in a bit of rush to see my own mum in hospital (which was true) so please resolve this issue.

I had kids waiting in the car and felt so embarrassed, like I was being treated as though I had done something wrong, even though I was actively trying to pay.

She said until her manager clears it, I couldn’t pay (unless it was $250), and was advised I was not free to leave either. She then called him/her which was a very quick conversation and said we must wait for a call back for further direction.

Eventually after about 10 minutes of waiting I put my foot down, and said you cannot lawfully hold me hostage here - I said go and look at the bowser it’s $160 not $250! In the end she called her manager back again and after some hushed talk she said OK you can pay and leave. I took a photo of the bowser on the way out. No apology, nothing.

I am really perplexed about the way I was treated and wonder how lawful it could be to hold someone - especially with kids sitting in the car - for payment that clearly was not theirs. I don’t think I look dodgy or anything at all I am just a daggy mum (not that it matters!)

I know it was only 15 minutes in total but I’m not sure how long I would have been standing there if I hadn’t been forced to advocate for myself quite strongly! It was also really embarrassing as I hate confrontation of any kind.

I am looking to upgrade to a family car in the near future but cannot decide what would be best.

We currently own a 2008 Yaris and a 2003 Mazda 323. We would like to upgrade to potentially a 7 seater but I can't wrap my head around why cars are so bulky with not much space.

For example, I have driven a Hyundai Santa Fea 7 seater before and compared to a compact 7 seater Toyota Sienta I drove in Japan, the Sienta seemed way more spacious. Why don't we have cars like this and if we do, what are they?

mazda have failed with hybrid. they can never match Toyota's hybrid tech.

They have completely failed with EV.

mazda diesel engines have always been unreliable.

yes their 2.5L engine is good but it drinks too much petrol. CX5 drinks atleast 10L/100kms which is not impressive.

also they have raised the price too much.

can they survive? just curious.

I've just purchased a car in a private sale without realising the roadworthy certificate was issued by the seller himself (he is a licensed vehicle tester). I very quickly realised my mistake so haven't put much distance on the car since sale and had a friend who is also a licensed tester take a look and they have found over a dozen issues that should have caused an instant fail on the roadworthy, including some critical safety issues. Any advice on how I can recover my money and/or make the seller face consequences for their dodgy dealings would be appreciated.

Morning all,

Someone I work with was sharing a story about how a dash cam proved a no fault on his end so it got me down the rabbit hole of looking for one (front and rear). Instagram/FB must have caught on straight away since I've been bombarded by BlackVue and JBHifi ads.

With a budget of $500 for a dash cam setup plus paying someone to come and install it via Airtasker- can I realistically get something good? I've been seeing some pretty intense "dual-sensor night vision thermal military grade" options out there lol.

I'd definitely prefer something with hidden wires where possible and is low maintenance (no charging or constant manually having to erase the card). Defo big bonus if it has a sentry mode that can activate if it hears or detects an impact when my car is parked.

Car is a Subaru Outback.

Also wondering did you have to declare the dashcam to insurance? I'm with Commbank and remember having to specify any aftermarket additions so not sure if something like this will actually help reduce my premiums or increase it if I had a rando doing wiring.

TIA <3

OK, I have never owned a EV before, actually haven't bought a car since 2017 (Koleos).

Liked the looks of the Mazda CX6e, have seen a couple of camouflaged test cars nearby. Size is nice, interior is nice.

Went to the dealer and pre-ordered.

Colours I like are either Aero Grey Metallic or Crystal White Pearl. I can't decide. Not really into the other colours, maybe purple but its too dark a colour so no.

I've seen White pearl with a black roof on a rav4 and it looked great.

I've also seen this type of grey on EVs (and in cx6e videos) and it looks good too.

Is the grey a bit of a fad for this year only. They say metallic but looks a solid grey to me (am I wrong)

What do people here like for colours?

Was also going to get the beige interior but me being not into cleaning and a dog drooling in the back, maybe that's not a good idea. Again what do people think?

My husband and I are looking into buying a car we can work on together over the weekends. We both don't have any mechanical experience apart from oil changes and work we've done on our 4wd for offroading (but those were more external mods)so we're pretty new.

Ideally looking to get a cheap ish car for under 10k to work on but we don't have a budget on how much money we want to invest in it. It will just be a case of adding stuff as we go.

I've heard xr6 falcons are great cause of their engines but we are set on a manual and they're hard to come by. Other options were wrxs, liberty's or lancers.

Any tips on a starting point would be great. Even other options we haven't considered. This car will be something we want to learn on as we go.

I've recently had my car insurance declined to be renewed, I'm guessing cause I made 3 claims over 2 years which cost budget direct too much money (2 of which I wasn't at fault for). I'm looking to purchase insurance through other providers but when it asks have you ever had your policy declined (or something to that effect) no other insurer that I've looked at wants to incur the risk. Could I just omit this information? what are my options?

Family of 3, living (renting) in an apartment so no home charging option.

I like the idea of an EV, but not sure how painful it’ll be without home charging. Hybrid feels like the safe/easy option.

Usage would be around 15k km/year. Mostly short weekday drives, weekend runs, and occasional highway trips.

Budget is around $45–50k for something 2–3 years old. Could stretch to $55k if it really makes sense.

SUV + leather seats are basically non negotiable conditions from Kid.

Cars I keep coming back to:

• RAV4 hybrid
• CR-V hybrid
• Tesla Model Y

Wondering if anyone knows a reputable individual/shop in Sydney who is familiar with Mazda engines (specifically the 2.5T)? Would like to get some work done. Understand it’s not a super tuneable platform but seeking further input. TIA

I did it for the first time last year, at the same time I got my car serviced. That was a few months before my registration was due.

My car is due for service again in a few weeks, so I want to lock in the date now - but I haven't received any notification about the safety inspection, and since my registration isn't due for a few months yet I haven't received a renewal notice yet.

If it needs to be done every 12 months, then it will make a difference to what date I can book the car in for service, as I'd rather get them both done at the same time.